August, the schools have broken up and so the weather takes a nosedive into mediocrity, at best. It's certainly not the scorching 36C that the scandal rags had predicted just a few weeks ago. I've been keeping up to date with the natural world via my regular circle of blogs and websites (what have they done to Birdguides?) and there can be no getting away from the fact that autumn is already upon us.
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Andrena haemorrhoa - at a guess |
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Haven't got a clue - in the garden this morning |
It's an exciting time of year when the natural world can provide surprises almost anywhere and I've experienced more than my fair share over the years. Birds are the most obvious subjects for my attentions, but it could easily be insects or fish which provide the interest. I could say flowers (plants?) but I'd be stretching it beyond credibility, although deciduous woodland can be very special as the leaves start to turn.
Wader passage is always an early indication of the seasonal change with an increase in passerine activity around the garden, and further afield, providing some great entertainment, even if I'm sat by the rods!
Any excuse to use some old photos - happy days.
What a weird cycle we're in to now, first week in August and already well into Autumn. Blackberries and apples are ripe early, many summer migrants already gone and if the last couple of years are anything to go by, the autumn weather will last through until next March/April.
ReplyDeleteYes mate, very strange indeed. Much of the local wheat and barley has already been harvested and the fields of Newland's Farm are now planted with the seasonal cauliflower crop, easily a month early compared to other years. The swifts have gone and I am seeing numbers of black-headed gulls - something is very out of kilter? No willow warblers through the garden yet, but it can only be a matter of time.
DeleteOur starlings have been pining for the swifts, they have been mimicking them for a week. Makes a change from a ring tone.
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